On June 23, the Children’s Cause for Cancer Advocacy held a congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness of childhood cancer survivorship.

The purpose of the briefing was to promote the STAR Act (Cancer Survivorship Treatment Access and Research Act), a bipartisan bill with goals of maximizing childhood cancer survivors’ quality of life, moving childhood cancer research forward, and helping kids get access to life-saving treatments.

Dr. Monica Gramatges, a pediatric oncologist and researcher at Texas Children’s Cancer Center, was one of four physicians who spoke to congressional staffers on behalf of the STAR Act. She explained the benefits of the Passport for Care, a web-based clinical decision making tool for survivors and their caregivers, and how the use of this application can overcome many of the geographic, educational, and access barriers faced by survivors.

About Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers

As an international leader in pediatric cancer research and treatment, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers are joint programs of Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine. The Centers are dedicated to providing novel therapies and family-centered care to children from infancy through young adulthood with cancer and blood disorders – from the most common to very rare. Texas Children’s Cancer Center is the pediatric program of BCM’s NCI-designated Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center.
Ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the #2 Center in the United States, Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Centers treats more childhood cancer and hematology patients than any other program in the U.S., with patients coming from 35 states and 26 countries around the world.